1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a screen display processing apparatus and method used in a portable phone or an equivalent portable information terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable phones are now quite widespread, and now include various advanced functions, the operability of which is correspondingly becoming more complex. However, the basic mode of operation of portable phones has not changed that drastically, as they are still mostly operated by buttons. Further, even if a user wishes to perform a simple task on a portable phone, several buttons must be pressed. That is, the user has to operate the portable phone by using only a menu, a complex GUI, and ten or more buttons (ex. ten key type buttons or some of function buttons).
Further, CPUs of the type used in PCs cannot be used in portable phones, due to power consumption and cost considerations, so portable phones must incorporate a relatively low-power CPU. Additionally, since the screen needs to be compact for the sake of portability, the portable phone cannot have a high-resolution liquid crystal monitor like a PC. Because of these problems of hardware, the operation screen of the portable phone is not of a multitasking type that uses windows, which is the mainstream of PCs. Basically, when one application uses the whole screen, and another application is to be activated, the current application is ended, and the other application is started. Windows-type functionality can be used, but the number of functions is limited. However, application execution is fundamentally based on single tasking or pseudo multitasking.
For these reasons, the portable phone is often very inconvenient for a user who wants to perform a simple operation or access another piece of information, because of the problems of system configuration (in terms of both hardware and software) and operability.
On the other hand, the mechanism in the case design of a portable phone is evolving from day to day. In addition to the current mainstream folding type, portable phones with various shapes or configurations are available, including a sliding type portable phone, a portable phone with a rotatable screen unit, and a portable phone that folds in a plurality of directions.
Although the case design evolves and provides various mechanisms, the system configuration remains unchanged, as described above. That is, the only part that features novelty is the mechanism. As the mechanism becomes more complex, the portable phone is frequently used in various forms. However, the screen display hardly improves visibility in each form.
Most portable phones simply incorporate the functions of a PC or other device. In fact, these functions are hardly user-friendly in consideration of the use situation unique to the portable phone. For example, a TV function or camera function is only a simple TV function or camera function that is not customized for each mode of use for a portable phone.
Additionally, the portable phone has a manner mode regarding sound but does not consider any manner mode for light leakage from, e.g., the backlight of the screen. In a dark place such as a movie theater where a movie is running, light leakage from a neighboring portable phone is considerably annoying. Some portable phones control the screen brightness by using a photosensor (e.g., JP-A 2003-076333 (KOKAI)). However, this function aims not at providing a manner mode for light leakage in a dark place but at improving the visibility of the screen under, e.g., outdoor daylight.
Furthermore, the display screen of a portable phone has not experienced much of an evolution since its beginning, either. From the viewpoint of the above-described manner mode for light or to prevent people in the vicinity from seeing private information, many users now place a privacy film on the screen of the portable phone. Even in portable phones with such functionality incorporated into them, the screen display has not been improved to any great extent.
As described above, the portable phones currently available have various problems regarding the operability, user friendliness of applications, mechanism utilization, screen visibility, the manner mode for light leakage, and privacy protection in screen display.